Bittersweet
by Little Blue Owl
Summary: It's like crime has just stopped, for a whole of two months, across the world. At least, that's what it seems like the Nancy and the Hardy Boys, who haven't had a new case for weeks. So, when a harmless vacation turns into a full-blow investigation, things get a little hectic. N/F and B/J probably. On Hiatus or to be discontinued.
1. Chapter 1

Bittersweet

Disclaimer- I don't own this, I never have, and the likelihood is that I never will.

Frank Hardy was quietly shuffling through papers of old case work. He was dying for a little more pizzazz, some may call it, at the moment. When you're used to a life of crime stopping and clue finding, sitting at home and watching television reruns puts you to sleep faster than you could say "bored".

His little brother was out on a date who knows where having fun bowling or something. But Frank didn't want to linger on the thought, as it brought back a painful memory from a fortnight or so earlier.

"Listen," Callie Shaw said tenderly, "I think that maybe it's time we take a break. You know that I love you, and I always will, but we have to face the fact that we have gone our separate ways now. You are always at some exotic place helping lower crime rates drastically, and I'm headed towards the theater to relax with my friends. We're different people, Frank."

"I know," he responded. A pause of about two minutes commenced. "And I think you're right. Just because we are different doesn't mean we can't keep in touch and stay friends though."

"Of course it doesn't, silly." A smile appeared on Callie Shaw's pretty face.

"I will always love you too, Callie," Frank said. Callie kissed him on the cheek and slid down off of the top of his car, waved, and walked away.

Of course, it wasn't as though they hadn't been growing apart or anything. Frank saw Callie enough, but they had lost that happy feeling. He was glad they'd finally taken the load off his, their, shoulders. It had been a burden to never even get to consider other people or have to schedule dates.

Frank found himself more okay with it every day. So it didn't bother him quite do much that Joe was on a date, really that he was having so much fun. There hadn't been many cases lately, and if they were, they were quick and simple. No international trips or anything. Life had just cooled down for who knows how long. If it lasted much longer, Frank might burst.

Frank heard the door open, interrupting his thoughts. His father stepped through the doorway.

"You have a call," Fenton Hardy said with a slight smile.

Frank knew that smile like the back of his hand. He knew who was on the other end of that phone. And he was looking forward to having a conversation with them.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Frank sat on the plane, next to (unfortunately) his brother.

"When are we gonna get there?" Joe pestered. "We haven't seen Nance in forever! I wonder if any new cases will be waiting for us when we get to River Heights."

Frankie's expression seemed to scream "Kill me now." It was bad enough to have to board this plane for a few hours to see Nancy, but to have those hours spent next to Joe talking like a maniac the whole time, it was torture.

The plane ride went on like that. A bunch of rhetorical questions from Joe, a radiance of silence and annoyance from his brother.

When the plane finally landed, Joe had finally shut his mouth. Either he had realized that there wasn't much more to say, and that he had been repeating himself, or simply that Frank had stopped listening ten minutes into his ranting.

'I wonder if Nancy will be at the airport, or if her father will be there,' Frank thought. 'Or maybe Bess and George will come with her.' At that Frank was filled with an intolerable and unexplained dismay. Why would it be so bad if Nancy didn't come alone? He didn't know. All he did know was that he would finally see his close friend soon, very soon. And he could not wait a single second more until he saw her.


	2. Chapter 2

Bittersweet, chapter 2

AN- I'm not in the mood for Nancy/Ned bashing, which means there must be something wrong with me. So don't expect too much of it in this chapter. I have written chapter three already and I'm working hard to find inspiration for chapter four. Enjoy, and if you get the time, check out any of my other stories! Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer- I do not own these characters, settings, backgrounds, or basically anything extra besides the plot.

Nancy Drew was so bored. Sitting for hours and hours at home, not a case to deal with, practically nothing to think about, she had close to nothing to do. So she had spent the last close to two months shopping with Bess, playing tennis and swimming at the lake with George, and having the occasional meeting with her boyfriend Ned.

So basically, Nancy Drew's life was like any other girl her age's. And she wasn't that fond of it. She loved her friends and boyfriend, certainly, but she had had enough of this stereotypical lifestyle.

And at the breaking point, she called the two people she could always count on for a good, fun time. Frank and Joe Hardy.

She realized that since her life was so slow lately, they might be feeling likewise. She had been holding off the call, as she knew it would upset her boyfriend (AN- there you go), and she tried to manage shopping and tennis and swimming, but it got to be so boring. And Nancy liked exciting, adventure-filled, fun, mystery-solving days. With no crimes happening recently, she didn't see any of this.

It was as if the world had taken two months off. Nobody Nancy knew or anybody they knew, or anybody that knew that person or so on, had given her a call in such a long time, it ha grown bothersome. 'Why can't someone do something terrible or reckless?' Nancy thought, and Nancy NEVER thought things like that. And thus the old cord telephone in her dad's office was picked up.

Nancy played with the phone cord for a bit while it rang, suddenly feeling anxious for no apparent reason. Then a voice came, that of a man in his fifties or so.

"Hello? Nancy Drew? Why, you haven't called in ages! Would you like me to pass on the phone to Frank? Joe's out on a date with some girl somewhere or other," Fenton Hardy explained to her.

"Hello, Fenton," Nancy laughed. "That's just like Joe isn't it? To spend a Friday night over Summer out? Anyway, I would love if you'd pass the phone to Frank. There's just about nothing to do over here these days."

"Frank will be excited you called." Nancy's cheeks turned a slight shade of red. "Funny, there's just about nothing to do over here in Bayport either," the man told her, before saying that he would pass the phone over to his elder son.

After a short nervous pause, Nancy heard a second voice, this one of a young man she knew quite well. "Nancy?" Frank Hardy sounded quite more eager than she expected, causing the redness to come back with a little smile. "How's life in River Heights?"

"Pretty unactive, it feels like. There's no crimes at all, just a bunch of recreational activities and swimming for me," Nancy said with a sigh.

"Huh," Frank said thoughtfully,"it's like that for Joe and me, too. No mysteries in weeks! There's nothing to do but swim and bowl and take leisurely drives through downtown." He paused. "Why'd you suddenly call, though? Is something wrong?" Concern lay evident in Frank's voice.

"No," Nancy laughed. "Everything's just fine. I was wondering if maybe you and Joe would like to come over to visit River Heights for a while. I don't think that I have anything planned for quite a bit, and since you two have nothing to do 'round there, and neither do I, it's be fun to visit, just catch up, really."

Frank sounded excited. "That'd be great. I'll tell my parents and start packing. And I'll tell Joe when he gets back, too."

And so it was planned. The Hardy brothers were to come by tomorrow afternoon, and stay as long as Nancy could have them.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Nancy waded her way through the small crowd at the airport, looking for the plane that had carried Frank and Joe to the city closest to her hometown. Her excitement was hardly kept inside. It really had been a long time since the three had met up, solved a mystery here or there, and just relaxed together. And Nancy was looking forward to every second of having her old friends by her side.

She had driven up in her light blue convertible-topped car. She hadn't brought her father or friends, and definetly not Ned, to come with her. 'That reminds me,' she thought. 'I still haven't told him the Hardys are visiting. '

It was a trouble to tell her long-time boyfriend Ned Nickerson the case whenever the Hardys were visiting. Or even when she went to visit them. He wasn't fond of the brothers, out of some grudge, or plain dislike, or jealousy, or who knows what. They just never got along whenever they saw each other, and maybe the young detective would never find out just why.

"Nancy!" A voice from behind broke her out of her thoughts. A very familiar, always-welcome voice.

"Joe!" Nancy cried, turning around to hug the blond detective. He was, as usual, smiling happily and wearing a tee shirt and shorts to match the Summer weather.

"Save some for me," a voice from behind them groaned. Frank had ended up carrying both of the boys' suitcases, as usual. Nancy ran over and gave the suitcases to Joe, hugging the young man who used to be lugging them around. They just stood there, hugging each other in a warm, happy embrace that seemed to last for moments. Then they broke apart and smiled at each other.

The threesome pulled the luggage to Nancy's car and piled them in.

"You two must be hungry. Airplane food isn't the best in the world, either. Would you like to stop somewhere for lunch?" Nancy asked.

Frank smiled. "Thank goodness we always have you, Nancy."

Joe grinned. "We could stop for cheeseburgers!" He said it so happily that the threesome just laughed giddily, not knowing that in about twenty-four hours, their happy vacation would soon be interrupted.


	3. Chapter 3

AN- There will be a plot in this chapter. :) I don't own this, and enjoy!

Frank Hardy was intensely glad to be back with his close friend and brother, all three detectives jollily riding in the young woman's car to get some cheeseburgers. Hey, it didn't even matter that they hadn't had a mystery in weeks or that something could most definitely go wrong any second, knowing them, just that they were together and having fun.

"So, how's Bayport these days?" Nancy asked casually, her strawberry blonde hair tied in a ponytail swishing as she turned to him. There weren't many cars on this road, so driving incredibly carefully wasn't exactly needed.

"Not too bad, actually. They're building another library," he replied.

"If you couldn't guess, that was by Frank's request," Joe put in. Nancy and Joe laughed giddily and Frank turned around to playfully punch his brother in the arm.

"Funny, it's like the whole world just took a long Summer vacation. And early, too, as it's only May!" Nancy said.

For the first time, Frank pondered at a thought that had been nagging at the back of his mind for weeks, about a week after things started to get slow. But he didn't want to say anything about it; why trouble Joe and Nancy's vacant, happy minds and thoughts with something as lousy as this?

Instead, Frank kept his mouth shut and let their happy minds stay undisturbed.

"When we get cheeseburgers, we should also get some fries and milkshakes. You know, Nance, it's so good to be back in River Heights," Joe said.

"I bet it is. And maybe we will get some fries and milkshakes. Whatever you two want," Nancy laughed.

Frank leaned over and whispered to Nancy, "He'a been like this the whole plane ride, and just about as soon as I told him you called."

Nancy laughed, wholeheartedly, giddily, full of joy and amazement. The sound that Frank had missed so much over the last few months.

"Hey!" Joe protested, arousing another round of giggling from Nancy and Frank.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Nancy and Frank sat down at a table in the cute little café. Joe, of course (as anyone who knew him could have guessed), was still ordering.

"So…," Frank started awkwardly, "how are Bess and George? And Ned?" The last part was strained, as Ned and Frank had always had an especially rocky relationship.

"Oh!" Nancy seemed startled by his question. "Bess and George are doing great, we've been spending lots of time shopping and playing sports and swimming and whatnot these days. With the weather so nice these days, everyone seems to be in a good mood." She paused. "Ned… is good too. We've had a few dates lately. So, how are things with you and Callie, if you don't mind my asking if course," she quickly added after seeing the troubled look on Frank's face.

"Callie and I haven't seen each other for months, really. It's fine, we both knew what was coming, and decided to accept that," Frank answered.

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while. But when Joe didn't return, a look of concern washed over Nancy's face.

"Where could that boy be? We can't have that much food, can we?" she asked nervously.

"I'll go look for him, he probably just found some pretty waitress to talk to."  
Frank was relatively unconcerned for his brother's absence.

The young man for up out of his seat and started towards the counter. Not too far from his and Nancy's seats was Joe, talking to a woman who had a look of concern on her face, which spelled trouble for the three detectives. Curiosity overtook him, and he started towards his younger brother.

"What's wrong?" Frank asked his brother after he had stepped away from the woman. "What did she need?"

"She says that a girl had been kidnapped a few hours ago. Her name hasn't been released yet, but rumor has it she was about our age," Joe responded.

"We should find a way to help out," Frank replied.

"Yeah," Nancy agreed.

As the three walked back to their table, all of them were thinking of exciting adventures that they had been missing for far too long.


End file.
